Mpumalanga ANC deputy chair promised top job

The ANC Youth League in Mpumalanga has launched a bold dual campaign, demanding the removal of an MEC while pushing to elevate ANC deputy provincial chairperson Speedy Mashilo as the party's next provincial leader.

- By Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane

Last week, when ANC provincial chairperson and premier Mandla Ndlovu was away on official business in China, the youth league members protested outside the provincial government headquarters in Mbombela. Mashilo was the acting premier in Ndlovu's absence.

The ANCYL members handed a memorandum to Mashilo, who is the MEC for cooperative governance, traditional affairs and human settlements. The memorandum called for the immediate removal of community safety, security and liaison MEC Jackie Macie.

In the same breath, the protesters promised to back Mashilo as the next ANC provincial chairperson and, ultimately, the future premier - if he supported their cause, a move that signals that the league may not support Ndlovu for a second term.

“We will deliver you as premier!” they shouted, signalling a seismic shift brewing within Mpumalanga politics, right under Ndlovu's nose.

At the heart of the movement is a growing sense among young leaders that Ndlovu and his inner circle have abandoned the youth after consolidating power, mired them in poverty while entrenched political families thrive.

ANCYL provincial chairperson Bethuel Zunguza didn’t mince words: “Our people are suffering in townships. Transformation must not be a song,” he declared, demanding a stronger youth presence in the provincial executive.